MISSION VIEJO -- A man who stabbed a pit bull puppy with a sword seven times during a fight with his girlfriend has been sentenced to a year in jail.

26 year old Justin Carrafield pleaded guilty Wednesday in Orange County Superior Court to animal cruelty and cultivating marijuana. A felony charge of possessing of a dagger was dismissed as part of a plea bargain.

The 8 month old pit bull puppy named Azure was stabbed by Carrafield after he got into a fight with his girlfriend and allegedly choked her, according to prosecutors.

Sheriff's deputies were called to an apartment on La Almeda in Mission Viejo in January on reports of a domestic violence altercation.

Neighbors reported that 26-year-old Justin Carrafield had stabbed the dog and gone back into the apartment, threatening to kill himself.

The bleeding dog was found in the parking lot, according to Orange County Sheriff's Lt. Steve Bernardi.

The pit bull was taken to a Mission Viejo animal hospital where she underwent surgery after being stabbed between the eyes, in the abdomen and other places on her body, including one that extended into the dog's liver, according to Orange County Sheriff's spokesman Jim Amormino.

Despite some liver damage, the puppy is doing well and expected to make a full recovery after undergoing surgery.

During a search of the apartment, officials said they found marijuana being grown in a closet.

Carrafield, a Web designer, also has a record that includes burglaries, thefts and assaults, according to court documents.